Visibly‐Transparent Organic Solar Cells on Flexible Substrates with All‐Graphene Electrodes. Issue 20 (25th July 2016) - Song, Yi
Abstract : Portable electronic devices have become increasingly widespread. Because these devices cannot always be tethered to a central grid, powering them will require low‐cost energy harvesting technologies. As a response to this anticipated demand, this study demonstrates transparent organic solar cells fabricated on flexible substrates, including plastic and paper, using graphene as both the anode and cathode. Optical transmittance of up to 69% at 550 nm is achieved by combining the highly transparent graphene electrodes with organic polymers that primarily absorb in the near‐IR and near‐UV regimes. To address the challenge of transferring graphene onto organic layers as the top electrode, this study develops a room temperature dry‐transfer technique using ethylene‐vinyl‐acetate as an adhesion‐promoting interlayer. The power conversion efficiency achieved for flexible devices with graphene anode and cathode devices is 2.8%–3.8% at for optical transmittance of 54%–61% across the visible regime. These results demonstrate the versatility of graphene in optoelectronic applications and it is important step toward developing a practical power source for distributed wireless electrical systems. Abstract : A visibly transparent, flexible solar cell with all‐graphene electrodes is fabricated by combining the high optical transmittance of graphene with organic polymers that absorb primarily in the near‐IR and near‐IV regimes. The fabrication process is enabled by developing a universal room temperature dry graphene transfer method. The devices exhibit exceptional optical transmittance and mechanical flexibility.